At the
age of 78, Maxine was a poster girl for an
active senior lifestyle. She loved being the
unofficial social director of her assisted
living community in the Texas Hill Country,
organizing shopping trips to San Antonio and
calling the numbers at the daily bingo game.
Physically, Maxine was in great shape. She took
a brisk walk every morning and had a regular
annual physical exam. Her only chronic health
problem was mild Parkinson’s, which she controls
with daily medication.

Since Maxine especially enjoyed sitting with
her special friends at dinner, she was very
concerned when she began to experience prolonged
coughing fits at the table. At first she thought
the problem might be simply trying to talk, eat,
and breathe at the same time – so she decided to
listen more and speak less. Things got better
for a while, though her friends did notice how
quiet and subdued she seemed...more